Photos
by rafiela
Summary: (I apologize for the bad title and the equally bad summary.) Of jealousy and pictures and blood and vervain. There's Steroline, too, if you're into that. :) I hope you enjoy! Please read and review!
1. Insecurities

**Author's Notes: This is my first attempt at angst and drama and my second story ever so please be kind :) This isn't beta-ed as well, so all errors are mine. Standard disclaimers apply.**

**Initially this should've been a chapter of my first story but I couldn't finish the story in a single chapter so I published it separately. I hope you like it! Read and Review! Let me know what you think (please.) I need your help. :) **

* * *

"Absolutely not. Caroline, this is non-negotiable." He's trying to keep his calm the best he can, but between Elena being taken by Klaus' werewolf hybrids and Caroline's complete disregard for self preservation, he's just barely holding it in.

"She's my bestfriend, Stefan! You can't expect me to sit here and wait for you to text! I'm a freakin' vampire for Pete's sake! I can help!"

They're in each other's faces now and both clearly unhappy with each other.

"Caroline."

She wouldn't have heard it if she wasn't so close.

He does that every time they're in each other's throats. Always the logical, _breathe in breathe out _complement to her neurotic and compulsive self.

"You know I can't be able to focus on getting Elena back if you're anywhere near those hybrids."

She closes her eyes as his big hands travel down her arm and end up wrapping around hers. "We all want her back, babe, but we can't afford any distractions." He says, looking straight into her eyes.

She knows he's right. Heck, he's always right, but she felt a little pang in the chest when he referred to her as a distraction.

"Are we done with all the lovey-dovey yet? There's life saving to be done." Damon unceremoniously makes his way through the door, his game face and leather jacket at the ready.

Even though she's still mad at being called a distraction, she knows she will never allow him to leave without, at least, calling a truce.

"I love you." She says so quietly, matching his tone, as she wraps her arms around his neck.

"I more than you." He whispers back.

And they're off.

* * *

While they're away, Caroline keeps her mind busy by running their last conversation (not argument) through her head over and over.

She couldn't quite shake the feeling of Stefan's words in her ears. _"We can't afford any distractions." _

He knows what he means and she understands perfectly that he would rather not have her in the midst of a blood bath between hybrids and vampires, but it hurt nonetheless.

She decided to make the trip to her house she's been putting off for a week now. She drives mindlessly and drops of her laundry while stuffing her duffel bag with several sets of fresh clothes.

She's in the clearing in the woods when her phone rings and Stefan's halloween photo comes up, the one where he's dressed as a Smurf, a smile on his blue face. She can't help but smile a little at the photo, her heart swelling in her chest. She knows exactly what he's calling to say, knows they got her back. They wouldn't have come back so soon if they weren't with Elena. She's sure of it, she doesn't have to hear the words, so she let's it go to her voicemail.

Not three hours later, as she's parking her car in front of the boarding house, she finds her phone ringing again. It's Damon.

She barely has time to pick up her iPhone when Damon vampire-slams his fist into the hood of her car.

"What th.."

"Where the fuck were you?!" She hasn't seen Damon this mad before, and she can see clearly that he's tired and worn out.

"Why didn't you answer Stefan's call?!"

"I knew what he was going to say!" She doesn't quite understand where all the anger is coming from. Since when was it a crime to let calls go into voicemail? "I know you got Elena back! That you wouldn't come back til you did!"

"My brother went out looking for you after he got your voicemail. He was worried sick, Caroline! You didn't even be bother to leave a fucking note! He was shot several times and he's weak. Vervain was forced into him. He.."

His voice breaks and he's almost crying now, running his hands through his hair. He takes a breath, hoping to gain even a speck of composure.

"He went out to look for you within five minutes of getting here and guess what! Klaus' hybrids caught him in the highway!" He's so close she can feel the rage vibrating from him.

This must be how it feels like to get the life drained from you, she thinks. Like a dementor's kiss, sucking all the happiness out of you.

It was a blur of Damon and Alaric and Elena shouting on top of her head as she tried to make sense of the situation.

Elena, smelling a lot like she's been through hell and back, is beside her on the bed, while Damon is saying something she can't quite hear.

"You stay here with Elena, alright? We'll get him back."

She wants to go, too, but her stubbornness is what got them all in this situation anyway. She's what's gotten him into this, so she let's it go. She knows Stefan would kill Damon fifty times over if anything happened to her and she's sure Damon wouldn't forgive himself, too.

He makes to leave when her hands wrap around his wrist so tight he's not sure this is Caroline at all.

"Promise me, Damon." She says it like her life depends on it, because clearly, it does.

"I promise."

* * *

It's been 9 hours and 42 minutes since she heard the roar of Damon's motorcycle zoom out in the distance.

She's been walking all over the room all this time, picking up photos and tidying books.

She came across a photo of her tucked into one of his diaries. She was wearing his sweater in the porch of that bungalow in the woods they'd discover not long ago. She had a cup of warm blood in her hands and half her face shone in the sun rise.

"_Sunshine of my life" _was written in his neat cursive at the bottom of the photo.

Her vision blurred with the tears in her eyes as she heard her phone ring.

She found Stefan's photo peeking at her and her chest burned with yearning..

"Hello, love." She could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"Klaus, don't you dare." She said, trying her best to sound condescending.

"I have someone who wants to talk to you but he can't quite speak at the moment."

"I will hunt you down and I will…"

"Oh honey. We both know you can't do that. We found Stefan in the highway looking a lot like he was lost so I had my hybrids take him here."

"I swear to god, Klaus, if you so much as…"

"Caroline, love. If you would only listen, we wouldn't be here right now."

All she could do was try not to let her voice break. She had to lean on the table for support. She was so sure her knees were going to give.

"He was so weak when we found him, he didn't even have the energy to resist. It looks like he hasn't fed in a while."

Klaus sighs at the end of the line, acting as though he wasn't happy about the developments.

"What the fuck do you want!" Is all her brain could muster.

"I'll let you know when I know, love. I just wanted to let you know so you don't worry."

And then the line was dead.


	2. Together

**Author's Notes: I have to clarify that in this AU, Stefan and Elena are not together anymore and Caroline never got together with Matt. I hope you like it. All errors are mine. Standard disclaimers apply. Don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

She's by the fireplace in the boarding house, his favorite mug in her hands. The one she got him on that random road trip to the South. It's worn out now, having been used too often. Even though she's bought him several new mugs on several occasions, begging him to let go of the battered old thing, he continues to use this one.

It's been more than a day since they last heard from Damon. He'd sent Elena a message saying they won't be able to make it back as soon as they had hoped.

She keeps calling his phone, waiting for the voice mail. She smiles the first time she dials, remembering the exact day he recorded his message for the machine. She told him his message was _toooooooooo boring _the first time she hears it (What_ are you, my grandma?)_ and she found him standing in her doorway not long after, phone in one hand. They spent the greater part of an afternoon deciding on a _cool, decade-appropriate_ message after what seemed like a hundred tries.

She laughs despite her self when she realizes the irony. She's smiling at his recording in the voice mail when hers was the reason he's hurt.

She has tears in her eyes now, and she's fighting to keep what's left of her composure. She wouldn't have moved from her spot in the house if she knew he would go looking for her.

She felt her guts twist as she recalled their last conversation. She hates the deafening silence that seems to amplify the pumping of her heart so she continues to listen to the 16-second recording.

"_You've reached Stefan's voice mail. I can't be with you right now so leave a message and I'll ring you back." __  
_

She hears her faint giggles in the background and her heart sinks in her chest.

It wasn't that much different from his original recording, but she loved their playful banter, so she teased him every chance she got.

She's pulled out of her thoughts when she hears Elena's phone ring and it doesn't take her to seconds to find the source.

Elena's barely gotten the phone to her ear when she makes it to the room.

"Damon!" is all Elena could say before Damon talks on the other end.

"Elena, listen to me." Caroline's stomach sinks at the tone of his voice. This isn't the call she's been praying to get.

He sighs before he continues, "Where's Caroline?"

"She's right beside me."

"I was hoping to talk to you without her in the room but…"

"Jesus Christ, Damon! Just speak up already!" Caroline grabbed the phone so hard, Elena wasn't sure it was still working.

"Caroline. Look. Stefan, he's…"

And then Alaric's voice comes through. "We're on our way home. We found Stefan, but Caroline, it's not good."

She can't remember what he said next.

* * *

It's the longest eleven hours of her life and her over-thinking makes the wait close to unbearable.

She can't keep her mind from wandering into dangerously tragic scenarios for when they come back.

It's selfish but she can't help but whisper to the air, "_You promised_" as she recalls their conversation in that sordid bathroom.

She remembers how Stefan gathered her in his arms and calmed her down.

She remembers how he spent the night with her, holding her exactly the way she needed to, how he listened to her, his breath on her hair.

She remembers how he patiently taught her the works, guiding her step by step, his hand on the small of her back, always.

What she remembers clearest of all is his promise.

She smiles though her tears as she plays it in her head.

_The way his firm voice broke through her jumbled thoughts the moment she said "...I'm hideous."_

_His hands are on her face, thumbs caressing the rise of her cheeks. _

_"Hey, hey," he said, gently lifting her cheek, meeting her eyes._

_"I promise you. I will not let anything happen to you." _

_It was always so easy for him to get through to her and as he said those lines, she had no doubt that he will keep his promise. _

_That night, in her room, as she's curled into a ball in his arms, she told him about how Damon treated her. _

_He made funny patterns with his hands on her back. As she got to the hard parts, she felt his grip tighten and his muscles tense, and she calmed him by running her hand up and down his side._

_Later, when he thought she was asleep, she heard him sigh heavily. Kissing her hair, he said "I will spend the rest of my eternity keeping my promise." __  
_

She gets up then, knowing she's better off on her feet than wallowing in her thoughts.

She's reminded again of the photo she found in her book. _Sunshine of my life. _

She can't help but think to herself, "_What use is the sun without a sky." _Because that's what Stefan was to her. He was her sky.

* * *

Somehow she finds enough energy to run around the house collecting everything they might need for when they come back.

When she hears them pull up, she opens the door to one of the most heartbreaking scenes of her life.

Damon and Alaric are carefully carrying Stefan across the lot. She wouldn't have been sure it was Stefan if her heart wasn't hurting so much.

_Sunshine of my life _

The words are ringing in her ears as she looks up to realize the sun is setting on the trio, as if it somehow shared her pain.

"We tried our best. We're still not sure what happened but we found him like this on an abandoned parking lot."

They set him down on the couch and Caroline grips one of his hands.

Damon is behind the couch peering down on his little brother.

"How do we even start? We have no idea what happened." He runs his hands through his hair once again and she can't help but look away at the fear evident in his eyes.

Alaric offers her a mug full of warm blood and she nods her thanks.

Damon tips Stefan's head forward while Caroline holds the cup, but her tears finally roll down on her cheeks when he doesn't react to it like he should.

She could've sworn she felt her undead heart beat when she felt him stir.

He turns away from the cup and empties his stomach on the plush, expansive carpet. When he's regained his color, he turns his head and wills his hands on Caroline's cheek.

"Are you okay?" is the first thing out of his mouth and she can't help but laugh as she buries her face in his neck.

* * *

They're in Stefan's room now and Caroline can't fall asleep. She blames the adrenaline she claims is still on her blood and watches his chest rise and fall.

She sets her head on his chest and wraps her arm around him, tucking him into to the embrace. She kisses his skin under her cheeks and whispers a small "I love you".

She falls asleep thinking of the sun and the sky. Together.


	3. Idiot

**Author's Notes: _Clearly, _I do not have any idea where I'm going with this. But I wanted to write so here it is. All errors are mine. Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

**PLEASE **PLEASE **PLEASE let me know what you think. Reviews are my drug. Enjoy!******

* * *

She spends the rest of the night and much of the morning half awake and half afraid, refusing to fall into a restful sleep. She keeps her right hand on his chest so she can feel it rise and fall with his breath. She wakes every so often to feel the heat on his cheeks, leaving a gentle kiss each time.

When she feels the sun stream through his bedroom window, she gives up her attempts at rest. She lifts herself up by her elbows from her place on his shoulder and rests her cheek on her fist. She inspects him closer, letting her fingers touch the tender bruises and wiping off the dried blood still on his skin. She tries her best not to cry every time she finds another evidence of the pain Klaus' army caused him.

Hoisting herself out of the bed, she hears Damon and Alaric downstairs. She follows their voices to the kitchen and finds them discussing in hushed tones. She squints her eyes suspiciously at them as their conversation halts at her presence.

"Go on..."

Alaric starts to explain but Damon interrupts.

"We were just.."

"No Damon. I want the truth." Her voice is firm, unwavering. She's suddenly filled with the need to know the story even though she knows it will break her.

Alaric starts again, "When we found him, he was so weak and he reeked of vervain. Just the smell of it made Damon sick."

"He had deep wounds and cuts and bruises everywhere and they weren't healing as fast as they should've been," Damon said with his head down, a cup of warm blood in his hands.

"I had him drink my blood for a while but he wouldn't take it, even human blood. It looks like his body is rejecting everything it needs to heal." He shakes his head, lifting it to meet Caroline's eyes.

She can hear the pain in his voice - the guilt. But what strikes her the most is the fear that's written all over his face, to the grips of his hands. He's just as scared as she is.

"That's all we know at this point." Alaric's voice is calm and composed. He's their rock, the solid ground they stand upon in times like this. But behind all that she can sense the tiredness and the hopelessness.

She chooses to ignore them - the feelings of frustration and uncertainty weighing on them anchors to a ship but she wants to set sail. So she smiles a little, even though it took everything in her to pull up the corners of her lips.

"Most of his wounds have closed up, maybe not completely, but they're getting there. And he doesn't look as pained as he did when you guys came." It's all she can do, highlight the good things. She doesn't want to think of anything else but the good things. She doesn't want to forget she still has those. She still has him.

He's been out for nearly 20 hours and she tries to reason that he needs the rest but she's dying to see the green of his eyes and hear the bass of his voice.

She goes about and heats up some blood in case he asks while the boys silently watch her.

"I'll go back up and wait for him to wake. He might not be strong enough to call."

* * *

Elena finds her in one of his plush, old Victorian chairs. The one he normally uses for when he was writing or reading.

She makes her way to her, sits down by her legs and leans her head on one of her knees.

They remain like this for awhile, just watching him - the rhythm of his chest and the furrow of his eyebrows.

"When we stopped halfway back, in one of the raggedy gas stations no one seems to go to anymore, I caught him staring at his phone." Elena sighs and repositions herself, her back against the leg of the chair.

She continues, "It was his turn to drive and we were waiting for Damon to get back from the bathroom. I had the back seat and I saw him pull out his phone and stare at it. I couldn't help but sneak a peak." She lets a small laugh escape and then turns to face Caroline.

"It was a picture of you. I believe it was from when you went to see the Grand Canyon. You were beaming like an idiot."

She remembers the long drive they went on that summer, hot humid air be damned. She remembers him uncharacteristically asking her to strike a pose against the majestic background. She repeatedly refused, arguing that the drive had ruined her hair and her make up.

_"Shut up, Vampire Barbie. You never wear make up and your hair looks fine," his camera is already pointed at her and his smile is wide and refreshing. _

_"__Since when are you an expert on all things Caroline?" she says back, mirroring his tone. _

_"__Since I became your boyfriend," he says, a little shy, but she can hear the certainty in his voice. _

_She shocked by his admission but she quickly recovers, her cheeks hurting from smiling too long. _

_"__Oh yeah?" her eyebrows are raised and her hands on her hips._

_He lifts his head up so he can meet her eyes from behind his smartphone. "Uh huh," nodding his head as he finally takes the picture. _

She remembers wrapping him in a tight hug on that cliff in the Canyon. She remembers kissing him for the first time. She remembers the drive back, how they would steal glances at each other and laugh when the caught each other staring.

She feels a sad smile form on her lips.

Elena pushes herself off the floor, taking Caroline with her. She wraps the other girl in her arms. "He's not going anywhere without you. Don't worry about that."

And she whispers a genuine _thanks _in reply.

* * *

She's rubbing her thumbs across his cheeks when she feels him start to stir. She stays close, her breath hot on the side of his face.

"Stefan?"

His eyes are searching and unsure.

She plants a soft kiss to his temple but she feels him pull away with a little moan. "Are you okay, baby? Do you need anything?"

He's shocked by the evident affection in her tone.

"What happened?"

She watches the fear slowly build up on his face.

"Klaus. He.."

"Stefan!" Elena is in the room in two long strides. She opens her arms for a hug but Stefan shakes his head.

"Katherine?!" His face twists in pain and surprise.

"What are you doing here?! How did you find me?"

He's visibly shaking now. He attempts to lift himself up but his arms give way. He plants his back firm against the headboard and Caroline watches him try to hide the wince forming on his face.

"Brother."

They all turn to see Damon leaning on the door frame, arms folded over his chest. "Elena, Caroline, I need you to go downstairs and talk to Alaric. I have to speak to Stefan."

Caroline opens her mouth to protest but Elena grips her wrist and shakes her head.

She resists the urge to close the distance between them and plant another lingering kiss on his forehead. She follows Elena across the room but turns around right before she heads out the door.

"I'll be right downstairs, Stefan."

They all hear the break in her voice but Stefan's confusion is all the reply she gets.


End file.
